The End of the Beginning
by HarryEstel
Summary: James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily have just graduated from Hogwarts and are at the beginning of their adult lives. Against the backdrop of the war, they try to find their places in wizarding society, never knowing how cruelly they would be betrayed.
1. Chapter One

  
  
Disclaimer: No, I still don't own them and I never will, must to my displeasure. I am making zero profit and all characters belong to JKR. I am only borrowing them for the time being.   
  
A/N: Hey there! This story is a prequel of sorts to my other fic Harry Potter and the Legend of the Phoenix. I guess you could say that this is AU as I am not following what they say about Lily and James in book five. I hope you enjoy and I will update when I get the chance. Enjoy!  
  
The End of the Beginning  
  
Summary: James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily have just graduated from Hogwarts and are at the beginning of their adult lives. Against the backdrop of the war, they try to find their places in wizarding society. This is the story of how one person, would ruin and end all their lives just as they were beginning, and how the repercussions would be felt across two very different yet similar generations.  
  
James Harold Potter was pacing nervously in his flat. He had just made a decision that would most likely change his entire life for all eternity.   
  
He was happy with his decision but was worried about what his friends and Lily would think. Especially Lily, as his decision most certainly involved her and depended upon her agreement.  
  
Logically, he knew that he shouldn't be worried about his friends reactions, but he just couldn't help it. After all, it wasn't everyday that a person decided to propose to his long time girlfriend.  
  
"James! Would you quit your pacing! You're going to make yourself sick if you keep that up. Just tell me what this is all about Prongs," Sirius pleaded with James.  
  
James whirled around and turned to face one of his best and closet friends, Sirius Black.   
  
"I'm sorry Padfoot, but I'm just too nervous! If I don't pace, I just might curse something or somebody," James said eyeing Sirius menacingly.   
  
For the past half hour, Sirius had been pushing, pleading, and begging James to tell him what was making him so nervous but James refused to budge.  
  
"Prongs! For the love of Merlin, just tell me already! I promise that you'll feel better afterwards," Sirius said once again.  
  
"Padfoot no! How many times do I have to tell you that I am going to wait for Moony and Wormtail before I tell you! I do not want to repeat this more than once," James said with an air of finality.  
  
"Oh fine, keep your little secret. Remus and Peter had better hurry up. The suspense is killing me!" Padfoot said half jokingly.  
  
Sirius was actually concerned for his best friend. James Potter was not the type of person to pace without reason. Whatever was going on, he hoped that it wasn't too serious.  
  
James was being unusually snappy and that was out of character for the Auror in training, who normally had the patience of Albus Dumbledore it seemed at times. Which was precisely the reason that Sirius decided not to push his friend any farther than he already had.  
  
Sirius was in training to be an Auror himself and knew a wide variety of nasty curses and hexes, but James was a master of Transfiguration and would not hesitate to turn Sirius into a black poodle should he feel like it. That was why Sirius, for once, decided to restrain himself.  
  
Both men were pulled from their thoughts when the fire place became active and Peter and Remus tumbled out.  
  
"Thank Merlin! You two are finally here. I thought I was going to go crazy if I had to wait another second!" Sirius said excitedly before James could even say hi to his other two best friends.  
  
Remus and Peter exchanged confused looks. What in the name of Merlin was going on here?   
  
"Padfoot, sit down," James growled at the overexcited Sirius.  
  
"Sorry about that you two, but you know how he can get sometimes," James continued to say, indicating his head at Sirius.  
  
"I resent that Prongs!" Sirius said.  
  
"Will you just shut up?! I have something very important to ask and tell you guys," James said seriously.  
  
The three friends as one looked at each other than at Sirius. James was never this serious except in his Auror training, and even then James had a hard time controlling his mouth at times. Whatever Prongs had to say, it was going to be important.  
  
As one, all three wizards took a seat as James continued to pace up and down and back again.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes at James actions. "James, would you please quit that incessant pacing and tell us what the hell is going on?" he said with just a touch of impatience.  
  
"Hah! You see! Moony agrees with me about your pacing and I'm sure Peter does as well!" Sirius said with Peter nodding in the background.  
  
Seeing that they were all becoming impatient with him and were likely to curse him if he didn't start talking, James reluctantly sat down across from them.  
  
"All right, this isn't easy for me, so just hear me out before you say anything," James warned them, but looking specifically at Sirius who was known for interrupting people on a regular basis, not matter who was doing the talking, even if it were on an important subject.  
  
Sirius got the hint when he saw that James was looking at him and shut up right then and there, possibly a first in the Marauders entire history with one another.  
  
"Okay, here I go. You see, you know I love you all as brothers and would do anything and everything for you. The thing is though, if all goes according to plan, I may not be able to spend as much time with you as I would like," James began to say.  
  
Sirius was about to ask why not, but James silenced him with a single look.  
  
"You see, well, tomorrow is the three year anniversary of Lily and I getting together and I, well, I'm going to ask her to marry me," James said and quickly closed his eyes, waiting for the screams of outrage and betrayal to come at him.  
  
The screams and yelling came, but not in the way that James expected.  
  
"YES! Finally! What took you so long Prongs my boy?" Sirius asked, while high fiving Remus and Peter, before walking over to James and hugging him in a brotherly way.  
  
"Really James, we had all wondered when you would finally pop the big question. Sirius and I thought that you would have asked at graduation, but you didn't. Trust me, half of Hogwarts has been betting on when this would happen," Remus said happily.  
  
Personally, he thought that it was high times those two finally got married. They had been circling around each other since their second year, and had finally gotten together at the end of their fifth year, right after OWL's, much to their friends relief.  
  
Smiling happily, Remus rose from his seat and also hugged James in congratulations.  
  
"Congratulations James! I had hoped that this would finally happen," Peter said with a false smile.  
  
Sirius, Remus, and James were to busy being happy to notice the insincerity of Peter's words.   
  
"Thank you Peter. Thank you all," James said happily.  
  
"There's only one thing I don't understand Prongs," Remus said mischievously.  
  
"What's that?" James asked, suddenly worried once more.  
  
"Why the in the name of Merlin were you so worried about telling us?!" Sirius said for Remus in exasperation.  
  
"Exactly. What did you think we would do? Yell and scream at you to not marry Lily? For the love of Merlin James, it was us who pushed you two together in the first place," Remus said.  
  
"Well yes, actually, I had worried that you wouldn't want me to marry Lily because that would and will mean that I won't be able to spend as much time with you," James said looking down, somewhat ashamed that he had thought his best friends would take this badly.  
  
"Oh Prongs, you truly are hopeless, you know that, don't you?" Padfoot said shaking his head.  
  
"How do you know that Lily will want to marry me anyway?" James asked curiously.  
After all, Lily could say no to his proposal.  
  
"James, you truly are a dolt. Of course Lily will say yes. The two of you have been crazy over each other for years! How could she say no?" Peter said, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.  
  
Peter had known that James and Lily liked each other for a long time, but tried to deny it. He had had the biggest crush on Lily for what seemed like forever. He had been crushed when they had started going out, but had secretly hoped that it wouldn't last.  
  
Now, here he was, congratulating James Perfect Potter on his upcoming marriage to Lily, for Lily would never say no. So now, all his hopes were forever crushed. Once more, Peter Pettigrew found that he hated James Potter, and that his hate was extending to Sirius and Remus as well. For not the first time in his life, he found that the Dark side looked very tempting.  
  
None of the other Marauders noticed this however. Peter was one of their best friends who usually needed their help with something.   
  
"Thank you Peter, I hope that you're right," James said, running his hand through his hair nervously.  
  
"Of course he's right James. Lily will say yes in an instant. I not only think that, I know that for a fact," Sirius said.  
  
"So, lets see the ring Prongs. Knowing you, you already bought it," Remus said teasingly.  
  
James blushed and took a box out of his pocket. "You're right as usual Moony. I bought it this morning at Diagon Alley," he said while opening the box.  
  
Sirius, Remus, and Peter all gasped when they saw the ring. It was beyond gorgeous. It was a ruby lily with emerald leaves surrounded by two diamonds. The ring was truly exquisite. It would suit Lily perfectly.  
  
"James, if Lily doesn't faint or kiss you the second she sees this ring, I would test her to see if it's someone else using Polyjuice Potion," Remus said openly gaping at the ring.  
  
Sirius whistled in agreement. "That is one heck of ring Prongs. If that's the engagement ring, what is the wedding ring going to look like?" he asked teasingly.  
  
James scowled at Sirius.   
"Padfoot, you know very well that my I'll give Lily my mother's wedding ring," James said with a hint of sadness.  
The loss of his parents had hit him hard as well as Lily and the rest of the Marauders.   
  
Voldemort had been targeting his family for a long time, and now, he was the only Potter left.  
  
Apparently, his mother had feared that she along with James father would be killed before James could get married and have children of his own. She had left him a note saying that if she had died before he had gotten married, then he was to give her wedding ring to his bride-to-be.   
  
When James had first read the note, he had broken down into tears and silently promised his mother he would do just that. The ring was in a box and James hopped to give it to Lily should she agree to marry him.  
  
"Sirius!" Peter and Remus said at the same time, while Remus smacked Sirius on the arm.  
  
"No, it's all right. He was only teasing," James said after regaining his composure.  
  
"Right, well come on you three. This is Prongs last night as a free man, and we are going to make this the best men's night out that we have ever seen," Moony said firmly.  
  
James smiled and nodded in agreement.  
  
"All right! Let's go party!" Sirius said excitedly.  
  
Remus, James, and Peter all just shook their heads. No matter how old Sirius became, he would always act like a teenager.  
  
"I'm sorry you guys, but I can't tonight. My boss wants me to work an extra shift tonight. He says if I keep up the good work, I may get promoted," Peter said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry that you'll miss the fun Peter. Hopefully you'll get that promotion," Remus said.  
  
"Don't worry about it Wormtail, we'll go out another night," James said somewhat disappointedly. He had hoped that this would be a night for all four of the Marauders but hey, they were all adults now, even if they didn't act like it, and they had responsibilities.  
  
"Don't worry about it James. I'll catch you guys later, maybe before the next Order meeting," Peter said with a false grin, and walked into the fireplace, mumbling his location so the others wouldn't hear, and disappeared in a whoosh of green flame.  
  
"Come on James, we'll make it up to Peter later. Let's go get drunk!" Sirius said happily.  
  
James and Remus just laughed and followed Sirius as he walked out the door.  
  
James was sure that this would be a night to remember, if he would be able to after all the alcohol he was likely to consume this night. He grinned. This night was going to be fun.  
  



	2. Chapter Two

  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.  
  
A/N: Hey there people! I hope that you are enjoying this fic, and I promise to update when I can. Many thanks to my beta enb2004 who had two great Harry Potter stories of her own! Thank you and here is Chapter Two as promised. Enjoy!  
  
One night later, Lily Evans was pacing around her flat and throwing dirty looks at Remus Lupin.  
  
Lily was an unusual girl for she was a witch and also happened to be best friends with several boys. Being a witch was not that uncommon in the wizarding world, although her sister Petunia might beg to differ, but being best friends with several boys was highly unusual.  
  
Lily had never really gotten along all that well with her dorm mates and had quickly become close to the Marauders in their first year. As such, Lily was used to male behavior but at the moment, Remus was truly being of no help to her.  
  
"Remus! Quit laughing at me and help me pick out something nice to wear," Lily demanded.  
  
Remus was wiping tears away from his eyes. All of the Marauders, with the exception of James, had gone through this many times with Lily since she had started dating James.  
  
Since Lily wasn't really all that close to any of the girls in her year, or any other year for that matter, she turned to Peter, himself, and Sirius for advice on what to wear for a date.  
  
The result always proved to be the same. The boys would look at each other in puzzlement and simply point at the closet article of clothing, which was precisely what Remus had just done.  
  
"Honestly Remus! This is James and mine third year anniversary of getting together! You don't really expect me to wear a pair of jeans and a tank top?" Lily asked incredulously.  
  
Remus could only shrug his shoulders. "I don't know anything about what clothes a girl should wear for an important occasion Lily. You should know that by now," he said while laughing.  
  
"Uggghhh! Moony you're impossible. Really you are. I don't know how I put up with the lot of you," Lily said throwing her arms up in exasperation.  
  
Sighing and shaking her head at the male sense of fashion, or rather, the lack of it, Lily turned back to her closet.  
  
She had narrowed it down to two choices, the problem was, which one she wanted to wear.   
  
One was a beautiful deep emerald dress robe that flowed to the ground, while the other was an elegant black spaghetti strap dress that came down just above her knees and clung in all the right places.  
  
James had said that they were going to a very nice restaurant, but he had failed to mention if it was muggle or wizard.   
  
Deciding to be safe, rather than sorry, Lily chose the black dress. "Okay Remus, you wait out here while I go change. Once I come out, you can give me your honest opinion. I mean it, no jokes," she warned him, her emerald eyes boring into Remus.  
  
Remus gulped and nodded. He knew that Lily was being deadly serious. When she was in that kind of mood, you listened to her. One did not want to be on the bad end of Lily's temper.   
  
Remus had only experienced Lily's temper once, and that was one time to many. It had left a permanent mark and he had vowed then and there to never get on Lily's bad side.  
  
Seeing that Remus had agreed, Lily nodded in satisfaction and walked into the bathroom to change.  
  
Lily wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was very nervous about this dinner for some reason. Somehow, she knew that tonight, her entire life would be changed forever.   
  
"Stop being silly Lily. Nothing is going to happen tonight. It's just a nice anniversary dinner with James," she told herself.  
  
Lily looked at the clock and realized that she had been in the bathroom for five minutes already, and that James would be there in fifteen minutes.   
  
"Oh god! I have to get ready," she thought in a panic.   
  
Quickly, Lily slipped into the black dress and her high heel shoes and applied her makeup and then did her hair.  
  
Critically, she looked herself over in the mirror. "Not to shabby," she thought.  
  
The black dress clung in all the right places and had a particularly low neckline, and the high heel shoes accentuated Lily's long legs in just the right way. Her red hair was up in a fancy bun with two wavy tendrils framing her face, and her makeup was just enough to highlight her features.   
  
"Not bad at all," she thought happily.  
  
"Lily! James is going to be here any second and if you want my opinion, you had better get on out here right now," she heard Remus yell from the living room.  
  
"Coming Moony, just hang on one second," she said while quickly putting her jewelry on.  
  
Once she had the jewelry on, she walked out of the bathroom and back into the living room.   
  
"Well? What do you think?" Lily asked Remus.  
  
Remus turned around startled. He hadn't heard her coming. Upon seeing her, he felt his mouth drop open in shock. Lily was always gorgeous, but that dress made her more look more elegant than he had thought possible.  
  
"Lily you look wonderful, gorgeous!" Remus said somehow managing not to stutter.  
  
If that dress didn't knock James of his feet, well, then James clearly wasn't a male of any species that he knew of!  
  
"So you think I look okay? It's not to over the top is it? James didn't mention if we were going to a muggle or a wizarding restaurant so I chose this one," Lily said nervously.  
  
"No, you look absolutely fantastic! Oh and the restaurant, it is muggle. Sirius was supposed to tell you but I guess he forgot," Remus said, making a mental note to scold Sirius the next time he saw him.  
  
Lily laughed. "That sounds like Padfoot all right. Don't worry about it Remus, even if we were going to a wizarding restaurant I probably would have chosen this dress anyhow," she said laughing.  
  
"Is that my Lily flower I hear," Lily heard James say from her kitchen.  
  
"I'm in the living room with Moony, James!" Lily said.  
  
James and Sirius had apparated into Lily's kitchen and heard her talking to Moony. Unfortunately, Peter was rather busy with his job, and couldn't come with them tonight.  
  
James nervously ran his hand through his hair without even realizing it. This was it. Tonight was the night that he would ask Lily to be his wife. How in Merlin's name he would ask her, he didn't know, but somehow he would.  
  
Sirius elbowed James in the ribs, and tilted his head toward the living room where they could both here Lily and Moony talking.  
  
"Is that my Lily flower I hear," James asked.   
  
"I'm in the living room with Moony, James," he heard her reply.  
  
James froze for a second but continued on when Sirius gave him another nudge to get moving. Swallowing nervously, James stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, only to freeze once more.  
  
This time though, he froze because of the incredibly gorgeous creature that was standing in front of him. Apparently, Sirius too was overcome by the sight of Lily for he didn't he nudge James to say something.  
  
Lily laughed at the look on James and Sirius faces. Remus had made a similar face when she had come out of the bathroom.  
  
Seconds later, James came to his senses, and walked over the Lily and hugged her.  
  
"Lils, you look absolutely gorgeous! You always look fabulous but tonight.... wow, that's all I can say," James said grinning.  
  
"Oh James. You look incredibly handsome yourself," Lily said looking at the white tux with an appreciative eye.  
  
"We must be going someplace very fancy if you're wearing a tux," Lily said approvingly.  
  
"Well we are my Lily flower. Didn't Sirius tell you?" James asked, looking suspiciously at Sirius.  
  
Sirius blanched and then looked down as he realized he had forgotten to tell Lily about what to wear and where she was going.  
  
"Padfoot, it's all right. I'm wearing the right thing anyway," Lily said reassuringly, squeezing Sirius's shoulder.  
  
"Thanks Lily," Sirius said grinning at her. She was always far to nice to him sometimes. Unless he played a prank on her, then she got downright nasty and usually pranked him ten times worse than he had pranked her.  
  
James and Remus scowled at Sirius but couldn't keep it up for long, and before they knew it, they were grinning as well.  
  
"Well, I don't know about you two, but Lily and I have reservations. Shall we sweetie?" James asked, holding out his hand for Lily to take.  
  
Lily laughed and accepted his hand. "Of course James. I can't wait to see where we are going," she said giggling slightly.  
  
"We'll be going now, don't stay up to late," James said mockingly to Sirius and Remus.  
  
Lily slapped his arm, and dragged James to the door. "We'll see the two of you later and say hi to Peter for me!" she said while she dragged James out the door.  
  
"See you guys later!" James said before they saw him disappear out the door.  
  
Remus and Sirius turned to each other and grinned. Both had the same idea.  
  
"Moony, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sirius asked grinning.   
  
Moony grinned. "If you're thinking that we should follow them and record the whole night, you are thinking what I'm thinking," he said laughing.  
  
Sirius laughed and nodded. Together, both he and Remus grabbed their coats and wands, and hurriedly followed James and Lily toward their destination.  
  
One thing was for sure. There were going to be fireworks that night and they had no intention of missing out on the show.  
  



	3. Chapter Three

  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.  
  
A/N: Hey there people and thank you so much for your reviews. I'm glad that you are enjoying this fic so far. Now, a question came up as to how far into the time line this story will go. This story will go all the way to the night of October 31st, 1981 and a few days afterward. Many many thanks to my incredible beta enb2004 who has two great HP stories as well. As promised, here is Chapter Three. Enjoy!  
  
Lily looked at James oddly as they walked together towards the restaurant.   
  
He was constantly running a hand through his hair and straightening his glasses. James was holding her hand in his and it seemed sweaty and tense. James was always confident. The only time Lily had seen James upset was when his parents had been killed.  
  
"James, honey, is something wrong? You seem a tad nervous," Lily said looking James straight in the eye.  
  
At Lily's question, James suddenly tensed. "Does she know, does she suspect? Oh god, what if she doesn't want to marry me?" he thought, steadily becoming more and more panicked by the second.  
  
"James? James what's wrong?" Lily asked, now truly concerned for her boyfriend's well being when James didn't answer her.  
  
Hearing Lily's concerned voice brought James out of his stupor.   
  
"Oh, nothing is wrong Lils, nothing at all. Everything's just great, just great!" James said trying to be extra cheerful.  
  
Apparently he had been a bit too cheerful and Lily just gave him a look that said yeah right.  
  
"So where are we going James? I would like to know where we are headed for," Lily said seeing that James didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him and decided not to ruin this night by forcing him too.  
  
James smiled in relief that Lily had not continued to question him. "It's a great restaurant Lils! It's called Flemings and has some of the best food around," he said smiling happily while trying to conceal his nervousness.  
  
"Flemings huh? I do believe that I have heard of it. I think my parents went there once though I can't remember why," Lily said frowning, trying to remember the significance that the restaurant had held for her parents.  
  
"See! That just confirms that this is the perfect place. Oh come on Lily! Look, there it is!" James said in a squeaky voice.  
  
Lily looked at him oddly again but said nothing about the odd voice. "Come on then James. I don't know about you but I am starving!" she said, her stomach grumbling from the delicious aromas that were in the air.  
  
"Sounds good to me Lily. Shall we?" James said, offering her his arm.  
  
Lily giggled and hooked her arm with his. She didn't know what is was about this dinner but she felt like she was back in Hogwarts and going on her first date with James.  
  
Together they approached the manager who was taking reservations.  
  
Clearing his throat, James got the attention of the manager.   
  
"I'm James Potter and I have a reservation for two at six-thirty," he said, his voice shaking slightly.  
"Welcome! Follow me right this way to your table," the manager said leading the two of them to a beautiful table in the center of the room.  
  
"Thank you very much. This is lovely!" Lily exclaimed, eyeing the room appreciatively.  
  
"Your waiter shall be right with you," the manager said while beaming at the compliment before leaving the couple to themselves for a few minutes.  
  
"Oh James! Now I can see why you wanted to take me here for our anniversary. This place is just exquisite!" Lily said in awe.  
  
James smiled at Lily. He had been here once before with his parents for his seventeenth birthday. In a way, it was kind of ironic. He, a wizard raised boy, had been to Flemings before Lily, who was a witch with muggle parents who had actually been to Flemings before.  
  
Some of his amusement must have shown on his face for Lily smacked him playfully in the arm.   
  
"Do you find something amusing James?" she asked, a red brow arched elegantly.  
  
"No Lils, nothing at all," James said, managing to keep a straight face. Well, he was a Marauder after all.  
  
Lily raised her other eyebrow in disbelief but let it pass without further comment.  
  
Shortly afterwards their waiter came and took their orders. Lily ordered the Oscar Fillet while James ordered a regular fillet, not being particularly fond of sea food. Together they ordered the garlic mashed potatoes, and sautéed onions for their side dishes.  
  
Their only problem ordering was with deciding what to drink. Lily chose to go with the Merlot, while James scanned the wine list whilst all the while wishing for firewhisky or at least a good butterbeer. When it was apparent that there was nothing on the wine list that even remotely resembled either drink, James gave in and ordered the Merlot as well.  
  
While they were waiting for their dinner to arrive, Lily and James made only small talk while sipping their wine.  
  
At last, when their dinner arrived, they dug in with gusto, barely taking the time to talk for the food was that good.  
  
While they ate, Lily noticed that James kept on digging around in his pockets for some reason or another.  
  
After watching him do this throughout the meal, Lily decided to find out what was going on.  
  
"All right James, I'll make this very simple. What's wrong? You look as though you're about to be sick," Lily said with some annoyance and concern at the same time.  
  
James looked up at her while slightly panicking. This was it, it was time. Their dessert was on their way and they had just received the Champagne he had ordered for the both of them. There would never be a more perfect moment than this.  
  
"All right Lily, I'll tell you why I've been so nervous tonight," he said seriously.  
  
James unusually serious and quite demeanor set off warning bells in Lily's mind. She somehow knew that whatever he was about to say was going to change both her life and his forever.  
  
"All right James, I'm listening," Lily said just as softly with a hint of nervousness in her voice as well.   
  
Taking a deep breath, James got up out of his chair and approached Lily.  
  
Seeing James standing, Lily went to get up but James motioned her to stay in the chair.  
Lily looked confused but stayed where she was, the butterflies in her stomach growing more and more by the second.  
  
Taking one more deep breath, James went down on one knee in front of Lily.  
  
"Lily, the reason that I have been so nervous tonight is that I have a very important question to ask of you. Lily, I have loved you since the first moment that I saw you on the train going to Hogwarts for our first year. It took me many years to recognize that I loved you but when I did, my love for you completely overwhelmed me. I spent nearly every waking moment talking or dreaming about you. When you agreed to be my girlfriend and told me that you loved me too, I was the happiest person alive. Now, I have one question for you, and I'm hoping that when you answer it, you will make me the happiest person alive," James said all in one breath.  
  
Throughout James whole speech, Lily sat numbly in shock. He wasn't, was he? No, he couldn't be, could he? When James stopped, it was all Lily could do to nod to tell him to go. She was currently incapable of speech at the moment.  
  
James saw Lily's nod and took it as a bad sign for she hasn't said a word. Summoning up his courage, James continued.  
  
"Lily, I love you more than life itself. Lily Evans, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" James asked, holding his breathe and waiting for her response.  
  
"He asked me. Oh my god he actually asked me! He wants me, little Lily Evans to be his wife!" she thought to herself in shock. "Don't just stand there Lily! Answer the man!" her inner voice demanded.  
  
James was beginning to become nervous. Lily hadn't said or reacted in any way. He wasn't sure if this was a good sign or a bad one. Just as was about to give up hope on receiving any sort of response, Lily suddenly pounced on him, taking both of them to the floor and kissed him passionately.  
  
"Oh James! Of course I'll be your wife!" Lily said as soon as she had finished kissing the life out of James.  
  
James whooped and quickly brought himself and Lily to their feet and twirled Lily around happily.  
  
The restaurant burst into happy applause as James whirled Lily around, having witnessed the proposal and Lily's response.   
  
It was only after James had put Lily down that they both realized that they had an audience.  
  
James and Lily blushed and hurriedly sat back down at their seats.  
  
"Oh James, this is a dream come true! I knew you loved me, and god knows I love you, but I never thought that you would ask. You've made me the happiest girl on the face of the Earth James Potter," Lily said her eyes dancing with happiness.  
  
"Well, I know that you have made me the happiest man alive! I don't know about you though Lils. You haven't seen the ring yet afterall and that just might make just even happier," James said smiling in anticipation of Lily's reaction to the ring would be.  
  
Lily's eyes widened at the mention of a ring. "You, you bought me an engagement ring?" she asked, her voice squeaking a tiny bit.  
  
James smiled happily at his fiancé. "Of course I did Lily and I just happen to have it with me if you should desire to see it and possibly wear it. But I suppose that you want to wait until we...." he started to say but Lily interrupted him.  
  
"James! Let me see it please! If you really have it I would like to wear it, starting right here, right now," Lily said determinedly.   
  
"I was just teasing Lils, of course you can see it and wear it," James said while reaching into his pocket and bringing the box out.  
  
He carefully handed the precious box over to Lily who took it with shaking hands.  
  
Slowly, she lifted the lid and gasped at the ring. It was exquisite! Between the ruby lily, the emerald leaves, and the two diamonds, Lily was truly shocked.  
  
"Oh my.... Oh my god, James, this is gorgeous! Where on Earth did you find this?" she asked after kissing James fiercely on the lips.  
  
"Oh in a little alley somewhere in London," James said winking at Lily.  
  
Lily laughed as James paid the bill. "You know James, I'm willing to bet that you had this custom made," she said waving her hand in front of his face, the ring glistening in the dim lighting of the restaurant.  
  
James blushed. "You caught me there Lily, but I knew that you would love it," he said smiling happily at the ring on her finger.  
  
"Of course I love it! I think that it is one of the most beautiful rings that I have ever seen, let along own!" Lily said beaming at him.  
  
"Come on Lily, what do you say we get out of here, and away from prying eyes, and take a walk?" James said, shooting the "couple" behind his table a look.  
  
"How did he know that we were here?" Lily heard Sirius whisper.  
  
"We'll see you later boys, behave," she said mockingly.  
  
Ignoring the two peeping Tom's, James took Lily's hand in his own and they both walked out of the restaurant and onto the streets.   
  
To them, their future had never looked brighter, despite the war. Things could only get better from here they both thought. They were at the beginning of their lives and things were finally starting to take shape. Had they known what their future held in store for them, they would have thought very differently.  
  
TBC  



	4. Chapter Four

  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.  
  
A/N: Hey there people! I am so sorry for taking so long to update this fic. I'll try to update more regulary but with school starting, I can't make any promises. Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! Here is Chapter Four as promised. Enjoy!  
  
It was two days later and Lily and all four of the Marauders were gathered in James estate in Godric's Hollow discussing wedding plans and preparations.  
  
"All right, this is going to be a mixed wedding so we can't have anything to outlandish. Everyone from my side of the family will know about magic of course, but still, better to be safe and sorry. Also, if we do this in a muggle fashion, there will be less of a chance of being targeted," Lily said logically.  
  
James didn't like it, but he had to agree that it made sense. He would not risk the safety of his remaining family and Lily's just to add a little big of magic into the wedding. There would be some. After all, both he and Lily were firmly ingrained within the Wizarding society, but hopefully not enough to track by You-Know-Who.  
  
"James, who is going to preside over the wedding?" Remus asked.  
  
James and Lily exchanged glances and turned to their friends.  
  
"Well, Dumbledore I suppose. He had always been there for me and James when we needed him," Lily said.  
  
"Dumbledore makes the most sense anyhow. We both adore him and lets face it, no one from the muggle world could marry us. Albus would be there anyway, and well, he's the best person for the job and there's no one else I would trust to be truthful," James said.  
  
Remus nodded in agreement but he had a wicked look in his eye. "James, Lily, have you even asked Albus yet?" he said, already knowing the answer.  
  
James and Lily exchanged guilty looks. "Well, no actually, but we are pretty sure that he'll say yes," James said uncomfortably.  
  
At this, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all broke out into laughter. "Oh Prongs, I am willing to bet that you haven't even told anyone that the two of you are engaged and are going to break it at the next order meeting which, by the way, is in a half hour," Sirius said while snickering.  
  
"You three know me too well. That is indeed our plan. Just before the meeting adjourns we'll announce it. Merlin knows that they could all use some good news and I think Lils and mine engagement counts," James said.  
  
"Don't worry Prongs. That counts, that most certainly counts," Remus said while laughing along with Peter.  
  
"Oh go ahead and laugh you three, I'll have the last laugh at the end," Lily said smugly.  
  
When the Marauders heard Lily's statement, four sets of curious eyes turned to her. When Lily said something like that, it never boded well for any of them. Never.  
  
"Well, as you know, James and I are going to my parents house for dinner in two days in order to break the news," she said.  
  
Sirius, Remus, and Peter sniggered as James sent them a pain filled look. He had already met Lily's parents and older sister. Her parents were very nice and had always welcomed James and his friends warmly whenever they visited. Lily's older sister, Petunia, on the other hand was mean, sarcastic, and downright rude to not only James and his friends, but Lily as well.  
  
The last thing that James wanted to do was sit through a tense meal with Lily's parents and sister. James was sure that once Lily announced her intention to marry him that Petunia would cease even pretending to be civil with any of them.  
  
Ignoring the sniggering in the background and her fianc's pained looks, Lily continued.  
  
"Anyway, James and I won't be the only ones going. All of you will be joining us as well and I have already informed by parents of this so there's no getting off the hook," she said smiling smugly.  
  
Remus, Peter, and Sirius all turned and looked at Lily in shock, their jaws hanging open.  
  
"Lils, I love you, but you can not be serious about this!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"Really Lily, don't you remember Petunia's reaction the last time that we were over?" Remus asked.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. As if she could forget that visit. It had been the summer before their seventh year and James, Remus, and Sirius had all turned seventeen, thus, allowing them to use magic as they pleased. The result had been a shrieking Petunia with orange hair highlighted with pink and green spots. She had never forgiven them for that incident and proceeded to make the rest of the Marauders visit a living hell.  
  
"No I haven't, but she'll be forced to be civl because my mum and dad will be there, along with her new husband. Now, since she is expected to be civil to you, you must be civil to her, is that understood?" Lily asked eyeing all four men.  
  
"Aye aye ma'am!" Sirius said with a mock salute with the rest of the Marauders following his example.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes at the four men. "You four are truly incorrigible, you do know that right?" she asked.  
  
Their grins was the only answer that she needed.  
  
"All right, all right, dumb question. Let's go shall we? I don't want to be late for the meeting," she said before Apparating out without warning.  
  
For a moment, the guys stared dumbly at where she had been mere seconds ago and then followed her example and apparated to the meeting.  
  
&&

Albus Dumbledore, esteemed Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, watched with curiosity as Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter entered the meeting room.  
  
There was an air of excitement emanating from around them, particularly, Lily and James. Something had changed between the two of them, he would bet his socks on it.  
  
Lily and James were glowing, while Sirius, Remus, and Peter all had huge grins. He watched the group of friends, blue eyes sparkling. Whatever had happened between Lily and James, it appeared to be a very good thing.  
  
Making a mental note to question them later, Dumbledore stood up and waited silently for the group of people to become quiet. While James and his fellow Marauders were talking and laughing, Lily noticed that Dumbledore had stoop up and was quietly waiting for everyone else to be quiet.  
  
"Shhh, James! The meeting is about to start," she said jabbing an elbow in her fianc's side.  
  
"Ow! Lily!" James whimpered.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly James, stop being such a baby. Really, how you're becoming an Auror is beside me. Now shut up so Albus can start the meeting," she said.  
  
James rolled his eyes while the others chuckled to themselves before settling down.  
  
"Now that I hold your attention, I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to order," Dumbledore said, blue eyes roaming over the Marauders.  
  
The said Marauders noticed and blushed and quickly turned their eyes away in embarrassment.  
  
"Now, Lily, Filius, how is your work on blocking the Unforgivables coming?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Lily immediately became serious and stood up alongside Professor Flitwick.  
  
"It's coming very slowly Albus, I'm afraid. The Unforgivables are very powerful curses in of themselves, and they become all the more powerful when you put a powerful witch or wizard behind them. We are making some progress in blocking the Imperious curse, but not much," Lily said sadly.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and turned to his Charms teacher. "Filius?" he asked.  
  
Professor Flitwick shook his head as well. "I am sorry Albus. What Lily said is all to true. We have made partial progress on the Imperious but then, that is the weakest of the three Unforgivables. These things take time Albus. People have been trying to block the Unforgivables for centuries with no success," he said.  
  
Dumbledore sighed sadly and looked at his two Charms experts. "I know. I realize that I am asking a lot, and for that, I am sorry. I have full confidence that you will be able to find something to help us," he said.  
  
"We will Albus. We won't let you down," Lily said.  
  
"Of course you won't my dear girl," Dumbledore said smiling. "Severus, is there anything that you needed to report?" he asked.  
  
With much reluctance, Severus stood up and faced the Order.  
  
"Yes Albus, unfortunately I do. The Dark Lord had been made aware of the Order's existence. By whom, I don't know. And _that_ is what disturbs me. Everyone who knows of the Order, is in the Order. I recommend we not say anything more until we have learned how the Dark Lord came by his information," Severus said and then sat down.  
  
"This is most disturbing news indeed. I shall look into this at a later date. For the meantime, unless there is anything of importance that must be discussed, I say this should conclude our meeting as Severus suggested," Dumbledore said.  
  
Lily and James looked at one another and rose together.  
  
"Ah yes, James, Lily, is there anything that you wanted to share with the Order?" Dumbledore said, hoping beyond hope that this was not more grave news.  
  
"Yes we do Pr... Albus," James said. He would never get used to calling Professor Dumbledore Albus!  
  
"Don't worry Albus, this is good news for everyone," Lily said while smiling at everyone.  
  
"That my dear girl is a wonderful thing to hear. Come, tell us your good news," Dumbledore said, sighing in relief that this was not more bad news as he had feared it to be.  
  
"Well, as you all know, I have been dating Lily for a long time now and I proposed the other night and we're getting married!" James said excitedly.  
  
Cheers were heard from all around the room at James announcement. This was precisely the type of news the Order needed to hear. For many months now, many of the members had wondered when and if James would pop the question. It seemed that he finally had.  
  
While the Order cheered at the delightful news, Peter was growling to himself, while on the outside he was smiling and nodding at the "wonderful" news. He didn't want this marriage to take place. He wanted to be the one marrying Lily, not James bloody Potter.  
  
He had been the one to leak news of the Order's existence. He had not yet joined Lord Voldemort, but he had helped. He would join, but not yet, not until it became beneficial for him. He would have to play his cards close to his vest. He would earn his Master's trust and then, the tables would finally turn in his favor.  
  
"This is most delightful news indeed. Congratulations James and Lily. May I offer you my most humble services and be the one to marry you?" Dumbledore asked hopefully, not realizing that someone was changing sides even as he spoke.  
  
James and Lily exchanged relieved glances. To think that they had been worried that he would say no, and here he was offering to do it before they even asked!  
  
"Thank you so much Albus! James and I would love for you to marry us. In fact, we were going to ask after the meeting had ended but you beat us to it," Lily said.  
  
"It would be my pleasure to marry you. Now, I am sure that we will all be receiving invitations?" Albus asked teasingly.  
  
"Of course!" James said, sounding horrified. While he might not be friends, nor even get along with everyone in the Order, he respected them immensely, even Snape. Besides, Lily would kill him if they didn't invite everyone.  
  
"I am just teasing my boy. Now, on that light note, I say we adjourn for the time being and shall meet again say, oh, next Monday," Dumbledore said.  
  
Everyone nodded and began to leave, all talking about the upcoming wedding.  
  
"Severus, if you could stay a moment?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Severus nodded. He had predicted that Dumbledore would ask him to stay after. There was much he had to tell the Headmaster and he did not want to do so in public.  
  
Lily shot Severus and Albus a confused look but continued on her way. Whatever those two had to talk about was their own business. Besides, she would probably find out later anyway.  
  
With one last look at Albus and Severus, Lily caught up to James and the others, and continued to talk about the wedding and the dinner with her parents the next evening.


	5. Chapter Five

  
  
Hey sis! Very Good! Only minor changes. Call you later!

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.  
  
A/N: Hey there people, so sorry for the late update. I'll try to update more often but it would appear that my LOTR fics have taken over. Don't worry though, I'll try to update this much more often that I have been. Anyway, many many thanks to my beta enb2004 who had two incredible HP fics that you have to read! As promised, here is Chapter Five. Enjoy!  
  
Albus watched the Marauders leave with a sparkle in his eyes. This was exactly what he lived and fought for. James and Lily were at the very beginning of their adult lives and Albus would be damned if he let Voldemort ruin that for them.  
  
"Albus, I think that we have a problem," Severus said quietly.  
  
Turning away from his thoughts he turned to face the young man in front of him. Here was yet another innocent who's life had been spoiled, possibly for life, because of Voldemort.  
  
"Yes Severus, I quite agree. This news is quite disturbing. How did he come by that information?" he asked tiredly.  
  
Severus shook his head and sat down heavily. "By Merlin I wish I knew Albus, but it gets even worse," he said looking straight at the Headmaster.  
  
Alarmed, Albus looked directly into Severus's eyes and not for the first time found them haunted.  
  
"What is it Severus?" he asked gently. He knew that whatever Severus was about to tell him would not be good, particularly if he couldn't share it in front of the Order.  
  
Severus rubbed his eyes wearily before looking up at Albus. "Albus, now that he knows about the Order, he wants me to find some way to infiltrate it and spy on it for him. Obviously he doesn't realize that I'm already a part of it. If he did know, well, I would be dead already," he said tiredly.  
  
Albus sighed. Was it not to much to ask to give Severus a break for once in his life? Hadn't fate been cruel enough? Apparently not.  
  
"This is indeed grave news. Severus, understand this. You may back out at anytime and I will fully support you. Too many times have you come close to being discovered already. I do wish that you would back out," Albus said looking directly into Severus deep brown eyes.  
  
"You know I can't do that Albus. Not after all I've done," Severus said bitterly.  
  
"Severus Snape, I will only say this once so you had better listen and listen well. What has happened to you is not your fault. You did not ask to receive the mark, it was forced upon you by your parents which was exactly when you turned to me for help. I am so proud of you Severus, I just wish that you could see all the good that you have done," Albus said fiercely.  
  
"If you say so Albus. If you say so," Severus said wearily.  
  
"I do say so my boy and right now, I think that you need to go and get some much deserved rest. We'll speak more of this later, but not right now," Albus said smiling at Severus.  
  
Before Severus left the room however, he turned towards Albus. "By Merlin Albus, when is this cursed war ever going to end?" he asked, hoping, praying that his longtime mentor and friend would have an answer.  
  
Albus looked at Severus sadly. "I wish that I could tell you I knew, but most unfortunately I don't. We will have to wait this war out Severus, even if it takes a decade. I will see this war won and the Light side prevail," Dumbledore said with confidence.  
  
Severus eyed his former Headmaster with the utmost respect. "Goodnight Albus, and you're right, we _will_ win this," he said before leaving the room.  
  
Albus watched Severus leave with a heavy heart. The words he had spoken to Severus may have sounded confident but on the inside, Albus Dumbledore was anything but confident.  
  
The Wizarding World was crumpling to its knees. More and more muggles, witches, and wizards alike were being killed as each new day dawned. The war would end within the next two years, of that Albus was sure of. Both sides were waning, slowly losing strength. It was only a matter of time before one side fell. What it came down to was which side would have the strength and the power to win the final battle.  
  
Sighing, Albus put his head in his hands. What the Wizarding World needed was a miracle, and at the moment, none seemed to be forthcoming.  
  
After the Marauders and Lily had left the meeting, they all apparated back to Lily's flat.  
  
"Hey Lils, do you mind if we all crash here for the night? I'm dead tired," Sirius said while yawning.  
  
"I'm with Padfoot on this one. It must be one in the morning by now," Remus said wearily as he plopped down on the couch.  
  
Lily looked at the clock and groaned. "Actually it's two in the morning and yes, you can all crash here. I'm going to bed," she said trying to stifle a yawn.  
  
"Night my lily flower," James said as he hugged Lily and quickly kissed her good night.  
  
"Night James," she said tiredly before heading off for her bedroom and leaving the four boys to fend for themselves.  
  
For a moment, James watched Lily walk off and wistfully wished he could join her. Remus interrupted his thoughts however.  
  
"Prongs, get your mind out of the gutter. How about helping us out here instead?" Remus said waving at the floor which was bare of any sleeping materials.  
  
"Oh, sorry," James said. With a quick swish and flick of his wand, there were four sleeping bags and pillows.  
  
"Thanks Prongs," Sirius said while climbing into the sleeping bag and falling asleep only seconds later.  
  
Remus and Peter also grunted their thanks before they too climbed in and fell fast asleep.  
  
Seeing that everyone but he was already asleep, James sighed and climbed into his bag as well. Sleep however was not coming despite the fact that he was dead tired.  
  
It wasn't until around five in the morning that he fell into a light doze when he was suddenly awakened by a scream coming from Lily's bedroom.  
  
Lily yawned as she walked into her bedroom. Hopefully the boys would behave themselves and fall asleep right away. More than likely they would at this ungodly hour of the night.  
  
Taking only enough time to brush her teeth and change, Lily crawled into bed and fell asleep the second her head hit her pillow, fully expecting it to be a dreamless sleep due to exhaustion.  
  
Her sleep was anything but dreamless however. On the contrary, it was turning into a nightmare.  
  
Dream Sequence  
  
Lily was walking through a Hogwarts that seemed eerily deserted. Where was everyone? Oh, they were probably in class, yes that was it. She continued walking towards where Professor Dumbledore's was when she heard laughter behind her.  
  
She whirled around to lecture whoever had decided to skip class but she found her breath caught in her throat. There right in front of her was James, and some red headed boy and bushy haired girl, with their backs turned to her.  
  
"James! What are you doing here and who are these people?" she asked. Much to her surprise however, they did not react, it was like they had not even heard her.  
  
"James Potter, you had better not be ignoring me," she said with a mock pout.  
  
"James" turned around along with the two other people and smiled sadly at Lily before going back to his conversation with the others.  
  
Lily gasped when "James" turned around. The boy, for that was what he was, had emerald eyes and a scar, a curse scar from the looks of it. The sorrowful smile the boy had given her teared at her heart. He looked so much like James, it was incredible! The eyes though, his eyes looked so old and haunted for one so young.  
  
"Wait! Who are you?" she called after them. She had to know who this boy was and why he looked so much like James, she just had too!  
  
The three children stopped and turned around to face Lily. The boy who looked so much like James stepped forward and met Lily's eyes directly.  
  
Lily nearly gasped aloud once more as she was faced with the boy's intense stare. His eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes which echoed her own, seemed to penetrate her soul. His eyes practically screamed of a child who had seen and done to much.  
  
"Please, who are you?" she asked desperately as he started to walk away once more.  
  
The boy did not answer however. All he did was turn around once more and smile sorrowfully at Lily before walking away.  
  
Suddenly, the scene changed and Lily screamed in fright when she saw that she was in a house that was slowly being destroyed.  
  
Desperately she looked for an escape method when she heard the shrill cry of a baby.  
  
She whirled around towards the sound and saw a baby boy trembling by his crib. A boy with emerald green eyes. No, it couldn't be. Yet it was, this here was the same boy whom she had just seen, except now, he was an infant.  
  
The baby's wails suddenly increased and Lily turned around just in time to see a flash of green light and the most sinister pair of red eyes she had ever seen.  
  
End Dream Sequence.


End file.
